The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-11-02
GORDON IN OHIO.
Georgia's Governor Talks to a Northern
Audience About the South


Audience About the South.
CINCINNATI, October 2S.-Gen. John B.
Gordon, Governor of Georgia, made his
first speech in Ohio tonight, in the Demo
cratic State campaign. 1t was at the High
land House esplanade to an immense aud
fence. indicating the claim of exit bels
to loyalty he said: ''In the great city OF
Augusta, on an occasion when we met to
90 honor to our dead comrades about their
graves, to cover them with fragrant flow
ers, l said disappointing to the banner Of
my country, which hung overhead
There hangs the flag of this Union;
let us honor it as an emblem of freedom,
of equality and of union; remembering
that there is not star on its blue field
which is not made brighter by the light
reflected from the Southern skies; not a
white line in its folds but is made whittier
and purer ~ that South's incorruptible
record in office; not one of its crimson
stripes that is not deeper and richer from
the Southern blood shed in its defense in
every war with foreign powers.
VI am not here 10 talk new doctrines.
l want to say to you again that before the
guns had ceased their terrible roar at
Appomattox began this kind of talk, and
in the South, in the Senate, in Boston, in
Charleston, across the Atlantic, every
where, have been appealing for peace
and unity and concord as the surest legacy
for our children to inherit Iapplausel, But,
my friends, Pm afraid Pm talking too
long Icries of 90 on, go onl. Well
l Will, and | will come to some
more things to talk of to you. Let me
mention another charge that has been
used with some effect, presume, IN this
State; charge sought TO bs fixed upon
the Northern mind to win votes ag 4iusg
the South; let us see how much there is
In it. The charge Is that we oppressed the
colored people, and L have some ire
mendous things to say about that, will
you hear me? [cries of yes.
"Ihese people were in slavery. How
they got there it is not necessary tor me to
say tonight; history will tell you about
that. We found it in our midst. 1t came
10 Us as an institution. We love those ne.
eroes. Do you believe that? Let me give
you the facts about it. We love them,
household. The negro boys on my
fathers plantation were the play
mates of my youth. The only fights that 1
can recall that had in my youth were
battles for insults, as l conceived them to
be to my colored play-mates around me.
Applause. On my own place to-day out
in the country, there is not one white
soul, not one. Ny furniture, my lands,
my all, is in the hands to-day aud has
was while / was in the Senate, in
the hands of colored people. Who
are they? My old servitors among
then is the old mama pardon the expires.
sioD) as we call her. now nearing ninety
years of age. Upon her bosom slept seventy
years ago the mother of my wife, later my
wife herself, later still every one Of my
ch il6reD, later still my grandchildren,
four generations, the memory of all hover
ing around that dear old form. Why, sir,
if you conld have seen the grieving
Of the wife OF my bosom, to that decrepit
old black woman, when she was called 10
the bedside of that old black woman d
few months ago, when the old mama was
lying i'll, the strongest man among you
would have been moved to tears.
They have in their possession, these
black people, all I have in the world,
and l Ieel as absolutely secure
at this moment as though l were
down there, watching their every act. How
ONES that, did we Cypress them when
they were slaves. 1t was law as inexora-
BILE rs the law of the Modes and Persians,
that the man who treated his slaves un-
kindly wss debsrred decent society. APP
plsuse. Is that go? Well, let Us come to
the proof. We went to war some years ago
and some of you will remember some
thing about it. We had fight; every body
knew il the South was defeated these slaves
would be made Tree men and free women,
and they knew it. They wanted to be
free, oh yes, there is no doubt about that.
They longed for their freedom. Were
they oppressed? If they had been would
not they have struck for their freedom
when they could? The North enlisted.
and was justified IN doing 1t, few regi-
ments of blacks to fight against Us. In the
old South, if we had proclaimed their
freedom at the beginning OF that war, we
could have enlisted every one of them to q
man. in our defense. Applause